Unfriendly Competition Read Free Page A

send her an ESP message to say something before Heather jumped on her.
    â€œThat sounds fun,” Julia said, almost as if she’d heard me yelling at her in my brain. But her enthusiastic tone sounded fake.
    Heather turned her head toward Julia, her blond hair whipping around. She stared at Julia for a long time. Brit and I exchanged quick looks—both of us braced for a fight between the two of them. But Heather looked away from Julia and then back at us.
    A tiny part of me felt sorry for Julia, but selfishly, I was glad it wasn’t me. It had always made me feel worse when Heather ignored me and left me to worry about what she was going to do instead of attacking me. Iwondered if Julia felt the same or if she was used to that kind of treatment by now.
    â€œLet’s talk food,” I said.
    And the five of us got into it and spent the next hour going back and forth about snacks and drinks. We decided on oversize soda cups, popcorn, lots of candy, and invites shaped like movie tickets.
    â€œWe should definitely have—” Heather stopped when her phone rang.
    She picked up her BlackBerry, frowning when she saw the screen.
    â€œMy mother,” she said to us, her tone matching her frown.
    She pushed the call button and held the phone to her ear. “Hi, Mom,” Heather said.
    The rest of us looked back at our notepads, trying not to look as if we were listening to Heather’s convo.
    â€œUm, no, Mom, really,” Heather said, her voice rising. “That’s really generous of you and Dad, but my friends and I already started planning it and—”
    Heather rubbed her forehead with one hand, listening. “Mom, I know turning thirteen is a big deal, but I—”
    I could tell that Heather was struggling to keep her cool because if she fought back too much, Mrs. Foxwouldn’t even listen to her. Kind of like she wasn’t listening now.
    â€œI’ve watched you plan so many amazing parties,” Heather said. She took a huge breath, trying to keep her voice steady. “That’s why I’m telling my friends exactly what to do. They understand just what I want—a lowkey party in my suite.”
    Heather waved her free hand in the air, as if in defeat, and slumped backward. I could hear Mrs. Fox’s voice though the phone. The cold voice seemed to suck some of the warmth out of the room.
    Brit and I looked at each other, sending this sounds bad signals with our eyes.
    â€œOkay, Mom,” Heather said. Her voice was quiet. “Thank you.” She moved the phone from her ear, holding down the end call button until the orange AT&T screen flashed and the phone went dark.
    Everyone looked at her, but no one spoke. Alison, Julia, Brit, and I were waiting for Heather to speak first.
    Heather ran her fingers through her hair and tossed her notebook on the coffee table, almost knocking over Alison’s Sprite.
    â€œMy mother will be here on Wednesday,” Heather said.
    â€œ What? ” all of us said in unison.
    Heather didn’t even look furious—just resigned. “Apparently, she’s been planning my party for months, and it’s not going to be something we throw. She’s wants it to be the social event of the fall.”
    â€œAnd she’s coming ?” Alison asked. “Why? She never visits school.”
    Heather’s laugh was bitter. “Right? But of course she has to oversee my party to make sure everything is Fox-worthy.”
    â€œThere’s no talking her out of it?” Brit asked.
    â€œYou don’t know my mother,” Heather said. “No one dissuades her from anything once she’s made up her mind. She’s already talked to the headmistress. She’s going to be here early Wednesday afternoon to oversee the caterer, and the party planner that she hired to basically micromanage every aspect of the party.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t even consider letting you plan your own?”